Burned Out to a Crisp?

"I don't really care what the people think about me," Crisp said. "Or you guys or anything like that. I just go out there and play and have fun. Hope the rest of the people enjoy watching me.

"But as far as me wracking my brain about what anybody thinks, I don't do that. I hope they enjoy watching us play as a team, I do something, they enjoy that part of it. But I don't care if people think I suck, or they think I'm good. I just go out there and have fun, and hopefully the ball falls in."

"Don't get me wrong," he added. "I like the fans."

You really don't care if people think you "suck"?

"No. I don't care. I go out there and play hard. If people think I'm good, then thank you. If they think I suck, then thank you anyway. I don't really care. Go out there and play hard and try to do my job and have fun with it. Hopefully, I do well at it."
-- 3.25.07, Gordon Edes, Boston Globe

... That's Not Exactly the Message We Heard When He Was Selling Us Our Red Sox Nation Cards ...

"If he [Jacoby] has a good first six weeks, he might be with the big club before you know it." -- Red Sox Legend Johnny Pesky

"Although Ellsbury says he's been told he will start the season with the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs, Boston's Double A team, don't expect the Madras High School graduate to stay there.

Johnny Pesky, the former Red Sox infielder who grew up in Northwest Portland, doesn't think Ellsbury will linger for long by Casco Bay.

"If he has a good first six weeks, he might be with the big club before you know it," said Pesky, a Red Sox icon.

When you consider Ellsbury's blend of skill, speed and athleticism -- his vertical jump measured 39 inches in camp -- you have to dig through the Boston archives to find a comparable player.

Fenway Park's beckoning left field wall and hitter-friendly dimensions have dictated that power trumps speed in Boston. The dynamic instructs, why risk an out on an attempted steal when you are one pitch from a two-run homer?

But as the game changes in the post-steroid era, even power-laden lineups can't ignore the need for speed. Last season, Boston's outfield was perhaps the weakest defensive group in baseball. Ramirez is an adventure in left field; center fielder Coco Crisp had an off year. The team has lacked a true leadoff hitter since Johnny Damon left for the Yankees."-- 3.25.07, Brian Meehan, The Oregonian